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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27656119">My Butler's Bewitched by a Bohemian</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/koneko_kakumei/pseuds/koneko_kakumei'>koneko_kakumei</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A3! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A3! Play Characters, Ambiguous Relationships, Attempted Murder, Character Death, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Original Character(s), Play: My Master's Mesmerized by Mystery (A3!), References to Prostitution</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:20:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,071</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27656119</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/koneko_kakumei/pseuds/koneko_kakumei</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Shiki and Sagishima’s lives have returned to normal after the incident with Miss Kusanagi... but a new threat looms on the horizon.</p><p>Their bond as butler and master—nay, as friends—is about to be put to the test. Will they come out of it closer than before? Or will their relationship be damaged beyond repair?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Minor or Background Relationship(s), Shiki Tojo &amp; Shizuma Kusanagi, Shiki Tojo &amp; Tooru Sagishima, Tooru Sagishima/Original Play Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Encore! Zine</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Please take your seats and turn off your phones. The performance is about to begin.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Presenting the XXth Mixed Troupe Play by the Newborn Mankai Company</p><p>
  <b>MY BUTLER'S BEWITCHED BY A BOHEMIAN</b>
</p><hr/><p>
  <b>CAST:</b>
</p><p>Hisoka Mikage as SHIKI TOJO</p><p>Homare Arisugawa as TOORU SAGISHIMA</p><p>Itaru Chigasaki as DANTE</p><p>Guy as GIICHI SATO</p><p>Azuma Yukishiro as SHIZUMA KUSANAGI</p><p>Tasuku Takato as KEIJI NAKATSU</p><p>and Chikage Utsuki as GABRIEL</p><p> </p><hr/><p>
  <em>Please take your seats and turn off your phones. The performance is about to begin.</em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. SUMMER</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Shiki stood out by the dock, the cool summer breeze gently ruffling his hair. A few paces behind him, Sagishima stood, laden with boxes from their shopping trip in Shibuya.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How long are you planning to stand there, Master Shiki?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just a little longer. It’s pleasant, isn’t it? The smell of the sea.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That it may be,” Sagishima replied, “but my arms are rather sore, and it looks as if it might rain. Can’t you continue your affected pondering somewhere indoors?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Return to the car, then. I never said you had to join me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sagishima didn’t respond. Warmth tickled at Shiki’s heart for a split second, allowing himself to indulge in the thought that Sagishima was not there because he had to be – but because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be. He didn’t dare to glance at his face, though – if he did, he might ruin the illusion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two things happened, then.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first was Shiki squeezing his eyes shut in surprise as the first drop of cool summer rain hit his cheek, sending a shiver through him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The second was a muffled clattering from somewhere behind him, like heavy leather hitting stone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Turning to see the source of the noise, Shiki noticed that Sagishima had already turned to look himself—and, looking rather startled, was making direct eye contact with a man a few feet away, whose belongings were scattered on the cobbled ground around him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man looked… strange. He wore an obviously threadbare waistcoat underneath a coat which had bobbled with age, lint gathered in places that clearly saw heavy use—but otherwise, his appearance was as well kept as any of Shiki’s peers, from his perfectly coiffed blonde hair, to his made up and clearly well cared-for skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiki’s immediate conclusion was that he was one of these men who, despite being born rich, enjoyed associating almost exclusively with the lower classes, to the point where they tried and failed to assimilate with them, seeing their suffering as nought but an aesthetic. Shiki had plenty of time for the poor and downtrodden in society—his extensive charity work, despite his family’s distaste, stood testament to that. He had less time for class tourists, who could escape that poverty whenever they wished should they only write to their dear fathers and ask for more money.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oblivious to Shiki’s damning first impression, the stranger stood, seemingly shell-shocked, still staring at Sagishima. Then, all at once, he came to his senses—he quickly gathered his bag and belongings, then all but ran over to them. Well, Shiki realised, not to them—but to </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sagishima</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Was this man an acquaintance of his, or just some oddball?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me, sir. I’m sorry to approach you like this, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man glanced down at Shiki—the first time he’d even acknowledged his presence—then returned to Sagishima, fiddling anxiously with his gloves. </span>
  <em>
    <span>An oddball then, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Shiki thought. And from the sounds of his awkwardly enunciated Japanese, a foreign oddball, at that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Well. I’m an artist, and I’ve been travelling the world to find my muse—heavens, where are my manners,” he stuttered. “I haven’t even told you my name! Please, call me Dante. The pleasure is all mine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sagishima’s eyes only widened as Dante bowed to him. Shiki supposed that, being a foreigner, he didn’t realise that bowing to a servant was not the custom—but from the way Dante’s hands visibly trembled as he did so, Shiki couldn’t help but think there was more to it than that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Dante, please, you don’t have to bow to me,” Sagishima replied with a soft laugh, trying to juggle his boxes as he attempted to bow himself. “I’m Sagishima, and this is my master, Shiki Tojo. You say you’re an artist?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, yes!” Dante said, straightening his back. “I’ve been travelling for two years now, and so far I’ve been unsuccessful—I’ve searched high and low, from a hat shop in Nepal to the back alleys of Paris, but no one has taken me quite so much as you. So… Of course you may refuse, but I beg of you: please, model for me. I don’t have much money to pay, but from the moment I saw you, I knew that you were the one I wanted to paint. Please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiki was suddenly glad that Dante was a foreigner, unused to their customs—if he’d had to watch him beg Sagishima in full dogeza, he might’ve thrown up from secondhand embarrassment. Despite having only just met him, Shiki was certain that if Sagishima asked Dante to lick the soles of his shoes, Dante would have done it, and then asked if he should lick his own, too.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And yet... </span>
  <em>
    <span>And yet</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Strangely enough, Sagishima’s cheeks were dusted pink as he cleared his throat, turning to Shiki.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would it be an issue if he were to visit on my afternoons off?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dante finally turned his attention to Shiki again, mouth agape as he waited for a response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose not,” Shiki replied. “Dante, you say? Like Alighieri?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” he replied, “like Rossetti.” Shiki could’ve sworn there was some bite to his response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see. Well, if he’s alright with it, then you’re welcome to him. What Sagishima does in his spare time is none of my concern, after all.”</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t understand why you’re so keen to model for him. He practically compared you to a Parisian prostitute.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be so crass,” Sagishima replied. “I just think he seems… interesting. Like a true Romantic, in the flesh. I’m honoured that he could find inspiration in someone like myself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As I say,” Shiki deadpanned, “he said himself that he’d looked in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>back alleys of Paris</span>
  </em>
  <span>. If you’re such a fan of the Romantics, you’ll know his Bohemian heroes favoured women of looser morals as their muses. Don’t you feel like you’re debasing yourself for someone you know barely anything about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, for someone who claims to know so much about the Romantics, you certainly are as unromantic as they come. You even have the artistic sensibilities of a dog.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Watch your mouth.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a smirk, Sagishima stopped behind Shiki as they reached their destination.</span>
</p><hr/>
<p>
  <span>Giichi’s café was tucked away in a back alley in Ginza. Despite being out of the way, it was still wildly popular with women in particular, the hanging baskets of flowers above the door and elegant chalk script on the menu board outside a testament to that. With its smoky atmosphere and the variety of strong coffee blends on offer, though, it wasn’t surprising that Tokyo’s artistic elite also flocked there. Perhaps surprisingly, Shiki also frequented the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Café Rouge</span>
  </em>
  <span>. His family may have been keen for him to keep a distance from Giichi—his illegitimate older brother, and therefore a stain on the family’s name—but Shiki had never been one to listen to orders he didn’t like.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The bell above the door tinkled as Shiki walked in, and Giichi looked up from his till, giving him a cursory wave. “Ah, Shiki! Welcome; I was actually hoping you’d drop by. Can you hang on for a second while I finish up here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” Shiki replied, removing his coat and handing it to Sagishima to hang up along with their spoils at the door. “Busy day?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As always,” Giichi said, with a sigh Shiki knew he didn’t mean. Giichi adored the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rouge,</span>
  </em>
  <span> even on its busiest days. It made him happy to know that Giichi was making a name for himself without having to ride on the coattails of the Tojo family’s success. He’d even gone so far as to discard their family name - Giichi Tojo was a stain, a nuisance, after all. Giichi Sato was a self-made man who had much to be proud of.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Settling at their usual table, Shiki and Sagishima waited patiently for Giichi to join them. When he did so, it was with an effortlessly charming smile and an afternoon tea stand laden with treats, as he wiped his brow with his free hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad you’re here, Shiki... You came at just the right time,” he said, setting the stand down and taking a seat opposite him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? How so?” Shiki replied, taking a small sandwich from the selection. “I don’t suppose you just missed me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I always miss my little brother,” Giichi replied, reaching over to ruffle his hair, earning him an indignant grunt from Shiki. Sagishima huffed a laugh at the sight as he sipped his tea. “But no, that’s not it. I was actually hoping you’d be able to help me. You see… The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rouge </span>
  </em>
  <span>has been so popular, now more than ever, and I was thinking of expanding. I have just about enough to rent a new building in Shinjuku, but in terms of wages, and supplies—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Say no more,” Shiki replied, before popping the last bite of sandwich into his mouth. “I can loan it to you. It’d be best to repay it as soon as you can, lest my parents notice, but that shouldn’t be an issue. You always were a fine businessman.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Giichi practically beamed; his smile always was infectious, and Shiki found himself smiling, too. “I’ll have it back to you as soon as I can. Thank you, Shiki. I owe you one.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. AUTUMN</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The expansion of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rouge </span>
  </em>
  <span>had not gone as planned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While the original branch had remained popular, the latest addition in Shinjuku saw only the slowest trickle of customers. Giichi’s business acumen was no match for the sheer amount of competition he faced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, the cost of his venture had proven dear. Not only had the Shinjuku branch dissolved after little more than a month, the disaster of it took a toll on even the original </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rouge. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Having been too stubborn—or perhaps too proud—to ask Shiki for more money to keep it afloat, he’d turned to shadier figures for financial support.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This decision had ultimately, for want of a better word, ruined him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite Giichi’s protests, Shiki had taken him in, letting him live in the Tojo manor while his parents were away in Australia on their latest business venture. Giichi was now living in his parents’ quarters, making himself as scarce as possible. Shiki could only assume that it was out of shame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Meanwhile, despite Giichi being the only new long-term resident at the Tojo manor, it almost felt as if Shiki had taken in two lodgers instead of one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unlike Giichi, Dante made little effort to keep to himself. He lounged around as if he owned the place, flirted coyly with Sagishima whenever he got the chance, and tutted whenever Shiki firmly told him to let Sagishima attend to his duties.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On Sagishima’s days off, as promised, Dante followed him back to his room so Sagishima could model for him. Shiki had caught a glance of one of his paintings once, and instantly scrunched up his face in disgust—he swore he’d never seen something so saccharine and sentimental in all his life. Honestly, he thought, for Dante to associate himself with the likes of Rossetti was an affront.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made sure to taunt Sagishima about the painting—which depicted Sagishima in a toga, surrounded by clouds, soap bubbles and cherubs—later.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Tooru,” Dante said one evening, voice muffled as he bit into an apple. He’d made himself comfortable on the chaise longue in the drawing room, where Shiki was </span>
  <em>
    <span>attempting </span>
  </em>
  <span>to enjoy some peace and quiet. Sagishima smiled as he poured Shiki’s tea, responding without looking up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Mr. Dante?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you—mm,” he said, swallowing his bite, “don’t you ever consider leaving your job? It can’t be fun serving someone like that. With your talent, I’m sure you could do anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiki bristled. His insolence really was beyond anything he’d ever encountered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I couldn’t possibly,” Sagishima replied, with a somewhat strained laugh. “I owe my life to the Tojo family. I have no plans to leave them, not until I eventually retire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dante simply scoffed. “But it’s so… old-fashioned, the proletariat serving the bourgeoisie in such a way.  You could leave, meet a partner… Perhaps they could provide for you, were they… popular. Talented. An artist, perhaps… Wouldn’t you prefer that? To be spoiled, never having to lift a finger again while your partner dotes on you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiki had been about to interject, his own scorn written across his face, when Sagishima got there first. Despite the ruddiness of his cheeks, his voice was surprisingly stern.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My duty to Master Tojo comes before anything like that. I… apologise, Mr. Dante.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>It was not like Shiki to fall asleep in the drawing room. Still, having stayed up until the small wee hours going over the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rouge</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s accounts and trying to find some glimmer of hope, he’d eventually passed out on the chaise longue, surrounded by scattered papers and empty coffee cups.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sagishima and the others had also long since retired. Only the chirping of cicadas from beyond the French window disturbed the silence… That, and the soft creak of an opening door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Shiki awoke, it was all at once. Gasping for breath, he seemed to inhale only cotton.</span>
</p><p><span>It took him a moment to realise that the pillow over his face was being held down</span> <span>by someone. Still trying desperately to fight for breath, he kicked out his legs, scrambling for purchase against his assailant—who responded by pressing down the pillow harder, trying desperately to suffocate him.</span></p><p>
  <span>It was a stroke of luck that a sideways flail of Shiki’s fist appeared to meet its target. With a muffled grunt, the pressure on the pillow lifted at once—though by the time Shiki had realised and thrown it away, his assailant was already long gone.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t Giichi,” Shiki said for what might’ve been the thousandth time that morning. Sagishima only sighed in response, focusing his efforts on serving both his master and Detective Nakatsu their tea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Detective Nakatsu’s stern expression didn’t falter, even as he took a long sip of his drink before plonking the cup back on its dish with all of the refined grace of a commoner.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Sato was found outside immediately after the incident. I know you fancy yourself something of a detective, Master Tojo, but you’re better off leaving the detective work to us—or at the very least, to your butler.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To Shiki’s surprise, Sagishima didn’t respond with a scathing comment to the affirmative. He supposed that even </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> was painfully aware of the gravity of the situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you not considered that perhaps he was just taking some air? He’s been under a lot of stress, recently. I certainly wouldn’t be able to sleep if I were in financial ruin.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Forgive me for poking my nose in where it doesn’t belong, Master Tojo, but I couldn’t help but notice some of the papers you’d left lying around at the scene of the crime. One of the people he owed money to was </span>
  <em>
    <span>you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>was it not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but—“</span>
</p><p><span>“And pardon my vulgarity, but with you out of the picture, that debt would be forgotten.</span> <span>He probably could’ve gotten his hands on the odd bit to sell from around here, too.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“I am telling you, Detective, it wasn’t him. I’d stake my own life on it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then if it wasn’t Sato,” Nakatsu said, clearly exasperated, “then who? Who else was at the scene of the crime, with a good enough motive? We searched the grounds high and low, and there was no one there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Who indeed,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Shiki thought.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>With every visit Dante made after Giichi’s arrest, Shiki found himself bristling more and more. Before, it had been out of sheer distaste for his attitude. Now, it was for another reason entirely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a reason not even Shiki could put his finger on, he’d begun to suspect that Dante, rather than Giichi, was the culprit of his would-be murder. While he hadn’t been found at the scene of the crime, anyone relatively quick on their feet could have escaped before Nakatsu’s arrival—and his unshakable clinginess to Sagishima only cemented both Shiki’s resentment and his suspicion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While a few nights before, he’d been poring over the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rouge’</span>
  </em>
  <span>s accounts until the wee hours, he’d switched to poring over any possible leads he could find regarding Dante’s mysterious past. So far, all he’d found were a few archived newspaper articles from Tokyo and from abroad, detailing his works and exhibitions. Every time he felt as if he were close to a breakthrough, he’d be disappointed by another seemingly innocent article about how he’d sold such and such a work to such and such a wealthy countess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After scouring the last paper in the stack he’d been sent, Shiki was starting to lose hope. But still—he couldn’t think of any other plausible explanation. Giichi couldn’t have done it. He would never accept that, for as long as he lived. And, he thought, with himself out of the picture… Dante would be free to whisk Sagishima away, living the working-class love story of his apparent dreams.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would order more papers tomorrow. He refused to give up just yet.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“M-Mr. Dante—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hush, my love… No need for formalities when we’re alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then… Dante...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tooru,” Dante sighed. “Tooru…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiki recoiled from the sweet nothings being whispered from behind Sagishima’s door. He knew it was his afternoon off, and he had the right to spend it however he saw fit—but the knowledge that he was spending it alone with Dante yet again left an unpleasant feeling tugging at his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, the reasonable thing to do would be to walk away, to retire to his quarters and try to put it out of his mind. He knew that the two of them had gotten closer over the months, and this hardly came as a shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Shiki had never been much of a reasonable person to begin with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tooru,” Dante repeated, his voice impossibly soft as he pressed his lips to the flesh of Sagishima’s palm. He looked up at him, almost reverent. “You are like nothing… no </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’ve ever met.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sagishima visibly swallowed, his face turned away in embarrassment in a way that completely blindsided Shiki. Never had he seen him look so vulnerable before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could say the same about you,” he replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dante laughed, then moved closer to Sagishima in one fluid movement, so that their lips were but a hair’s breadth apart. “I’m glad you think so.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shiki had never really watched anyone kiss before. His parents were different—with them it was always a chaste and quick affair, over in a fraction of a second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was like nothing Shiki had ever experienced—the way that Dante claimed Sagishima’s lips, starting with a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth, then developing into something hungrier, more raw; the way Sagishima’s trembling hands grasped at Dante’s collar as Dante scrambled to undo the buttons of Sagishima’s waistcoat (which eventually resulted in them pulling apart, breathless and laughing together as Sagishima took over). Shiki’s eyes stayed fixed on the two of them as they undressed each other, an unpleasant sensation curling low in his gut as he finally realised that this, maybe, was something he shouldn’t watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Quietly, he stepped away from the door, and made his way back to his own room.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. WINTER</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“My, my. I never thought I’d see you here… How have you been, Shiki?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiki swallowed thickly as the cell door clanged shut behind him. While this was the second prison cell he’d visited today, he was no less used to them—the cold stone walls, blackened with mildew, and the stench of excretions and unwashed flesh. He knew full well that many of the less fortunate souls who came here would never leave, succumbing to the filth and disease that ran rife.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For whatever reason, Shiki still couldn’t feel at risk around Shizuma; despite being Miss Kusanagi’s murderer, Shiki couldn’t shake his view of him as a calm and genteel man. Perhaps that was foolish, but even now—wearing his tattered prison uniform and his elegant, spun-silver hair long since shaven off—Shiki couldn’t bring himself to feel uneasy. Perhaps that was why he’d ended up here in the first place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...It’s hard to say,” he replied casually. “Someone tried to kill me, but other than that, I can’t really complain. And you, Shizuma?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shizuma’s gaze remained fixed on him for a moment, before his still-soft features creased in a gentle laugh. “Goodness, you say that like it’s nothing… Committing murder once doesn’t make it banal to me, you know? But, ah… My life’s been much the same as it has been for the last eleven months. You know,” he said with a gesture, “prison. You’re the very first visitor I’ve had.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No family…?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not,” Shizuma said, an eyebrow raised. “I murdered my sister, remember? It’s hardly shocking that nobody’s in a rush to see me. But that leads me back to my original point—to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taking a seat on a wooden bench positioned by the far wall, Shiki gave a shrug. “I was visiting someone else, and remembered you were here. That’s all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that so? My, now I have even more questions… Do you have a secret penchant for befriending criminals? And you still haven’t explained why you thought to visit me. You could’ve just dismissed the thought, but you didn’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiki stayed quiet for a moment, debating with himself on how pathetic he would seem were he to be completely honest with him. At this point, what did he have to lose?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...I suppose that despite everything, I still see you as my friend, Shizuma. Sometimes I think of what might have been, if you hadn’t killed Miss Kusanagi. And… I suppose I’ve been lonely lately, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Crossing his legs and propping his chin on his hand, Shizuma hummed. The action was far more befitting of one of Shiki’s dinner party guests than a broken man with a death sentence. It was jarring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lonely? What about that butler of yours? Back when we met, I felt like I never saw him leave your side. Did he retire? Run away to become a private investigator?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s…” Shiki shifted uncomfortably, eyes unfocused as he stared at the floor. “He’s found a lover.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, my,” Shizuma replied with a salacious grin. “Please, indulge me… I haven’t heard this kind of gossip in so long. So he’s been whisked away?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Shiki huffed, “but we’ve fallen out. He still takes care of his duties, but… Remember the attempted murder I mentioned?” Shizuma gave an eager nod in response. “I have good reason to believe that his lover was the perpetrator. But the evidence stacked up against my older brother instead, so he’s the one who’s been arrested for it… But Sagishima refuses to believe me when I say that my brother is innocent. It’s infuriating. And whenever I see him with that—that </span>
  <em>
    <span>bohemian</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I feel so annoyed that I could very well end up as your neighbour in here—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiki was interrupted by a soft laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I see. So you’re jealous that someone else got there before you did… That’s it, isn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Completely blindsided by Shizuma’s suggestion, Shiki recoiled. “Jealous?! Am I hearing you right? Sagishima is my </span>
  <em>
    <span>butler</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Shizuma, and more to the point, my brother’s life could be at stake!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Your defiance only confirms my suspicions,” Shizuma said with a smirk. “All I can suggest is that you prove this man guilty, somehow. It may break poor Sagishima’s heart, but if you’re sure… But then, do you really think you’re capable of solving a case like this without his assistance? I would still be walking free were it not for him, after all. Perhaps you and I might have grown even closer… Perhaps we could’ve even ended up as lovers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Resisting the urge to hit him, Shiki gritted his teeth. “I would have figured it out eventually, you know. And you and I? Really?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come now, tell me you’ve never considered it. I always did think you were adorable… Like a spoilt puppy. I often wondered how well you could take commands.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s… By the by,” Shiki said stiffly, ending that train of thought before it could continue. “You’re right, though. I need to prove Dante’s guilt. I’ll do it, even if it puts my own life at risk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm… If you die, do pay me a visit in Hell,” Shizuma replied, sighing as he relaxed against the cold stone wall. “Perhaps we can put my thoughts to the test.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something in Shiki twisted uncomfortably at Shizuma’s words. He knew Shizuma would die—and at this point, there was nothing he could do to stop it. Despite Shizuma’s crime, Shiki couldn’t help but feel that ultimately, his death would be no more just than Miss Kusanagi’s.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>A week later, Dante had once again made himself at home on one of his impromptu visits. Sagishima was serving him tea in the drawing room, and each little shared glance or hint of a smile between them sent an ugly shudder down Shiki’s spine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>However… This, he thought, was perfect. For the first time since they’d met, Shiki found himself glad of Dante’s presence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“By the way, Sagishima, I have some news,” he started, before taking a long, indulgent sip of his Earl Grey. Both Dante and Sagishima turned to look at him—Sagishima with a look of vague curiosity, and Dante with a look of unfiltered contempt. Shiki continued. “Mother has requested my presence in Australia. We’ll be staying there for three months while we assist with the set-up of our new factory there. It’s short notice, but we will leave in three days’ time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His statement was met with complete silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…But… Tooru will stay here to tend to the manor, won’t he?” Dante said with a strained laugh. “I’m sure it would fall to ruin without him around to take care of things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Our other staff are more than capable of taking care of the manor while we’re away. Sagishima will be coming with me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But he’s my model,” Dante replied. “I can’t possibly paint anyone else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then perhaps you should work on your art skills, Mr. Dante, if you are only capable of painting one face. There are plenty of other models in the world, and this one so happens to be my butler. His duties come first.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Surprisingly, it was Sagishima who replied first. “Master Shiki, is there </span>
  <em>
    <span>any </span>
  </em>
  <span>need for that? Dante is a fine artist—not that you would ever understand. You may be an adult now, but you’ve been acting more like a child than ever of late. You were less unruly when I still had to brush your hair and dress you in your school uniform.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And</span>
  <em>
    <span> you’ve</span>
  </em>
  <span> been growing far more insolent of late, Sagishima. If you wish to keep your position as the Tojo family’s butler, I suggest you keep quiet and afford me a little more respect.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that, Sagishima pressed his lips together in a fine line.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In truth, it hurt Shiki to say; he’d always secretly enjoyed his and Sagishima’s banter, until Dante had shown up, worming his way into their dynamic and </span>
  <em>
    <span>tainting </span>
  </em>
  <span>it. Though he would never admit it, Sagishima’s snark had always left him feeling inexplicably warm. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked </span>
  </em>
  <span>that Sagishima didn’t completely defer to him. It made him feel more like an equal, more like…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>More like a partner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru,” Dante said, sounding almost embarrassingly frantic, oblivious to Shiki’s plight. “You don’t have to go. This job is holding you back anyway, so why not quit? Come and live with me. I don’t have much, but we could make it work, you and I…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiki chanced a glance at Sagishima from over his teacup, and his heart sank at his red-faced expression.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dante… I… I am flattered, truly, but now is not the time for a conversation like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“When could possibly be a better time?! My love, please… I doubt I could survive here without you. I’d wither like a daffodil in winter…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sagishima stayed silent for a moment, then sighed, his gloves creasing as he balled his hands into fists.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now is not the time, Dante. I don’t wish to leave you, either, but…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiki’s eyes widened a fraction, hanging onto that </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘</span>
  </em>
  <span>but’. A small glimmer of hope flared to life inside him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…The Tojo family treats me well,” Sagishima continued. “I’ve been with them for nearly two decades, and leaving them would be no easy decision.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That little glimmer of hope was extinguished as quickly as it had flared to life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sagishima,” Shiki said tersely, trying to put all other thoughts out of his mind. He spoke quickly, barely even thinking through what he was saying before the words came spilling from his mouth. “If you are no longer faithful to us—“ </span>
  <em>
    <span>to me</span>
  </em>
  <span>— “then I think it might be time for you to seek other opportunities elsewhere. That you would even discuss this in front of me is enough of an affront. Tomorrow morning, you will have packed your bags, and you will be prepared to either come with me to Australia in three days, or you will leave this manor, and you will not return. I’m sure Father will understand.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To Shiki’s surprise, Sagishima looked… stricken.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Master Shiki, surely you don’t mean…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do. As of tomorrow, if you haven’t decided where your loyalties lie, you will be dismissed from our service. And if you want to leave here with a good reference, I suggest you do as you’re told until the end.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Sagishima tried and failed to school his expression, Dante looked positively </span>
  <em>
    <span>thrilled</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tooru, this is it…! You can leave here, you can stay with me… We could start our lives afresh, together!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sagishima looked at Dante, then at Shiki, before returning to Dante. Shiki couldn’t ignore the pain in his voice as he spoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dante, I… I’m sorry,” he said. “That sounds wonderful, but… I must go. The Tojo family has always been my priority, and it will be until the day I retire—possibly even after that. They took me in when I was just barely eighteen, gave me clothes and work and a place to stay… You can’t possibly understand how indebted I am to them. It will only be a few months. I’ll write as often as I can…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite Sagishima’s reassurance, Dante didn’t say a word. He just sat there, brows furrowed, gaze distant and impossible to decipher.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>While he’d planned to stay awake that night, lying in wait, Shiki had succumbed despite himself. Lying on top of his blankets, he appeared dead to the world, silent but for the soft sound of his breathing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He would never have even noticed the creaking of his door, followed by careful footsteps on the carpet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Shiki awoke, it was all at once.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sensation of soft cotton pressed firmly against his face was terrifyingly familiar – but this time, he realised, he had been pinned down, the whole weight of another body holding him there against the bed. Unable to fight against his instincts to gasp for breath, his thrashing arms began to lose their urgency as light-headedness started to overcome him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>So this is it, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He supposed he would meet Shizuma again after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d been a fool to let his guard down. His plan had been close to perfect, only for him to fall at the last hurdle, falling asleep when he’d planned only to pretend. He would’ve caught his attacker—</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dante</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he’s still sure, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span>—and Sagishima would finally realise the truth. He would come back to him, and all would be well again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Now, of course, Sagishima would have nought to discover but his corpse. Perhaps he’d figure it out, then—perhaps Dante would still see justice, even at the cost of Shiki’s life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thought reassured him as his arms fell to his sides, too numb to control any further.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiki would still win.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He would win.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>“…ki? Shiki? Please, God…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Warmth enveloped Shiki’s body. It was not unpleasant.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry, I couldn’t… I didn’t…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sagishima. His voice was… strange.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Shiki thought, distantly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s crying.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sagishima’s voice slowly faded once more as Shiki succumbed again, comforted by Sagishima’s warmth.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. SPRING</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Shiki stood, looking out at the slowly cresting waves from the docks. Despite it now being spring, the air was still bitingly cold, the grey sky oppressive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sagishima stood beside him in silence, apparently transfixed by a bobbing sea bird, sitting calmly, as if it weren’t being thrown back and forth by the tide.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You look lost,” Shiki said finally, breaking the silence between them. “You’ve looked that way since… since then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sagishima turned to him, though his gaze still seemed somewhat unfocused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“May I be frank with you, Master Shiki?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not sure even I understand how I feel.” He reached out, holding onto the railing in front of him, looking out at the sea. “That night… I had actually been on my way to talk to you. To give you my answer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shiki stilled. He remembered the events of that evening all too well. He stayed quiet, allowing Sagishima to continue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I had been planning to tell you I wished to stay. Here, with him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” was all Shiki could say.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But when I saw him… with you… When I realised what he was doing, I…” he trailed off, voice wavering. “I realised that I’d sooner become a hermit and remain by myself forever, if it would mean you would never be hurt. Looking back, I suppose it should have pained me to knock him out, to see him fall unconscious at my feet. I loved him. I… I still…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Swallowing back the tight knot in his throat, Shiki reached out, covering Sagishima’s gloved hand on the railing with his own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Sagishima. Truly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sagishima made a soft noise from beside him, turning his head away. In the months since Dante’s second attempt on Shiki’s life, and his subsequent arrest, they’d never talked about it in this much detail before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Despite everything,” Sagishima continued, “I don’t want him to be put to death. He may have been wicked, he may have manipulated me, made me doubt you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurt </span>
  </em>
  <span>you… But the heart does not forget so easily, Shiki. I am sorry I still can’t move on, even now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Love... is a tricky thing,” Shiki replied, smoothing his thumb over Sagishima’s hand. “It doesn’t listen to reason. Logic, truth, station… It bows to none.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Sagishima turned back to stare at their connected hands, Shiki noticed his eyes—now slightly wide—were red, glossy with tears. He hadn’t seen Sagishima allow himself to be this vulnerable since that night months ago, when he’d overheard him in his room with Dante.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose I’m no better than a dog, guided only by its baser instincts, aren’t I?” Sagishima said.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing his lips twitch into a brief smile, Shiki mirrored the action.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How the tables turn. Perhaps we’re both dogs, you and I. Perhaps it’s a sign that we should stick together.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. EPILOGUE: SUMMER</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>And now, a glimpse of the past.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You’re home late again, Gabriel.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gabriel collapsed onto the ratty chaise longue in front of the fireplace, clearly exhausted. Dante didn’t have to ask where he’d been—he knew all too well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm. Sorry… My last customer got rather clingy. The only way I could get away was to blindside him with a bit more…” Gabriel concluded his sentence with a lewd hand gesture, one that made Dante’s grip on his charcoal tighten until he felt the soft lead snap in his palm. “He paid me for it, of course. The old fart’s got money coming out of his ears.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop it,” Dante bit out, dropping his broken charcoal onto his still-blank page. He knew he must look like a petulant child, but the seething jealousy burning through his veins didn’t give him much chance to consider his actions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gabriel just looked at him, then let out a soft, incredulous laugh. “Stop what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop… talking about it. I’ve told you, I don’t want to hear about… that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dante.” Gabriel hauled himself up again with a weary sigh, and Dante froze as he slumped over the back of his armchair, draping his arms around his shoulders in a loose embrace. “It’s just my job. Besides, it’s nothing worse than anything we’ve done.” There was no malice in his words whatsoever—there never was. Still, the knowledge that Gabriel regularly slept in the arms of others… It ate away at Dante’s heart more with each passing day, and he knew he was close to breaking point.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then stop it,” Dante replied, voice clipped. “Stop doing it. Your job.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gabriel let out a soft laugh. Warm. It only served to make Dante’s hackles rise more. “And what? Let us both starve? Dante, my love, you must be reasonable. If I could devote myself entirely to you, I would; but no job will have me, and until you find a patron, we have nothing. What am I supposed to do?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you saying this is my fault? I can’t find a patron, so you have to walk the streets? Perhaps if you were home to model for me more—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ssh, love,” Gabriel replied, pressing his lips to Dante’s cheek. “Be easy. I know you must be frustrated, but please, think about it… What choice do I have?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you don’t deny it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dante—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t deny that you think it’s my fault you feel you have to keep doing this. I’m working hard to pursue my dream—if you truly believe in me, then you’ll stop!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please, don’t twist my words. I do believe in you, but we have to be sensible… If you can’t find a patron soon, then we’ll have nothing to live on at all. I’ll be back to how I was when you first found me, only you’ll be in the exact same position… Your parents’ money carried you so far, but that ran out long ago. This flat, food, your supplies… How do you expect us to afford them? You can’t go on living in a dream world. We need money.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gabriel,” Dante snapped, clenching his fists as he pulled himself away, “even if I were to be homeless, it would be better than watching you parade around with </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I would gladly die in the streets with you, as long as I could stay by your side.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Pulling his arms away, Gabriel fell quiet for a moment before speaking again, his voice low. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t I?” Dante replied sharply, standing so he could face him. His whole posture betrayed his defensiveness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gabriel laughed again, but this time, there was no mirth to it whatsoever. “How could you ever understand how it is to live on the streets? You grew up with—with maids and butlers tending to your every need, with not a care in the world. You’re only here because you fancied seeing how the other half lived… Sometimes, it almost feels like you see us as nothing more than tools for your art. Yes, your parents disapproved and cut you off, but I’m sure that if you got tired of this one day, they’d take you back with no more questions asked. You have no way of understanding, Dante, nor have you ever once made any attempt to try. You’re here by choice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you’re not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s not what I meant. I told you to stop twisting my words—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I understand perfectly well what you meant. You… I loved you. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>exalted</span>
  </em>
  <span> you. You’re my muse, my everything… But I was nothing more than a way out, wasn’t I? You could use me for a place to stay for a while, but that was it. You never cared for me.” Dante was trembling, now, his whole body shaking with the force of his anger. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unable to even look at Gabriel anymore, his gaze fell instead on a letter opener on the mantelpiece. It had been a gift from Dante’s mother, long ago—it was shaped like a gecko, with forest green jewels for eyes, its tail the blade.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dante, you know that’s not true,” Gabriel said. “Please, stop it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I’m wrong, then deny it! Tell me you’re not just using me for my money, for my position!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gabriel twitched, staring at Dante with wide eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not. I love you, I… I’ve always loved you. But if you despise my work so, and if you’re so set on living in cloud cuckoo land, then perhaps I should… reconsider our relationship. We can’t go on like this, Dante. You can’t expect me to follow you to oblivion when you refuse to even try to help. When you’re so… so </span>
  <em>
    <span>selfish</span>
  </em>
  <span> that you—“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Gabriel was never given the chance to finish.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment, the golden letter-opener that had previously been sitting on the mantelpiece clattered to the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was closely followed by a sickening </span>
  <em>
    <span>thunk </span>
  </em>
  <span>of something far heavier hitting the carpet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dante stared downwards, waiting for Gabriel to finish his sentence. He would stand up again in a moment, and carry on insulting him. He was sure of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he didn’t, Dante took a trembling step backwards.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rug squelched under his boot; much like Dante’s clothes, it was already drenched with blood.</span>
</p>
<hr/>
<p>
  <span>The humid summer air made Dante’s hair cling to his face as he stood out on the deck of the boat. The smell of the sea was almost overwhelming—it was fresh and insistent, and inhaling it almost made him feel as if he were being absolved of his sins.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was going far, far away. He would find a new place to live, and a new muse. The next chapter of his life was about to begin.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, here we are.</p><p>This fic has been my baby for a long time. I'm absolutely not done with this universe, either - I'd actually planned to have a plethora of accompanying art ready by the time I was able to post this (including the flyer and event cards), but 2020 has been... well. 2020, so they're still at the WIP stage as of now. I do plan to finish them ASAP though, and I'll be adding them either to the first chapter or as a bonus last chapter when I do!</p><p>Thank you for reading this. I've really come to love this story, and both the original MLAM play characters as well as Dante, Giichi and Gabriel (even if we didn't really get to see much of him... RIP). Thank you to the Encore Zine mods, too, for giving me the opportunity to write this. It's been a ride, but I'm so glad I got to take part.</p><p>As always, your thoughts are very much appreciated! I've been in a bit of a creative funk lately, and they always help give me the energy to keep going. Thank you again for reading, and thank you to everyone who supported me while I wrote this - I absolutely could not have done it without you.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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